Rohit, Virat, Ashwin retirements mark start of transition for Indian Test team, says Sachin Tendulkar

Leeds, June 19: As India prepares to face England in the high-stakes Test series starting June 20, the shock retirement announcements of stalwarts Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin have sparked widespread debate. While fans mourn the end of an era, legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar offered a grounded perspective, emphasising the natural progression of generational shifts in Indian cricket.

Tendulkar, speaking on the development, acknowledged the emotional void left by the trio but maintained that the process of transition is nothing new to Indian cricket.

"We are going through a transitional phase in the Indian team. There are young faces, and some of the senior players are still around to guide them and this churning process will continue for years to come. It has been going on for decades," he said.

Drawing from personal experience, the Master Blaster recalled how similar changes have occurred in the past, when his own generation passed the baton.

"At some stage, the players have to retire, and at some stage, the new faces replace them, and they start their journey. Even when we were playing, be it Sehwag (Virender), Ganguly (Sourav), Dravid (Rahul), Laxman (VVS), myself, Anil Kumble, Yuvraj (Singh), or Dhoni (MS), at some stage, we all retired and the next generation took over," Tendulkar added.

"So, it will continue, this process and I have no doubt that the new generation is talented," he noted.

Tendulkar also expressed confidence in the talent pool available in India, calling for patience and faith in the newcomers.

"As far as skill is concerned, in our country there are so many skilful players. I hope they make the most of the opportunity given to them," he added.

Reflecting on the retirements of Kohli, Rohit, and Ashwin, Sachin was clear-eyed but appreciative.

"So, that process, what you said about Virat and Rohit and I'll add another name to that, Ashwin has also retired. These three retirements, I mean, that will go on. Their contribution will always be appreciated," he noted.

India tour of England will take place from June 20 to August 4, 2025, with matches to be played at Headingley (Leeds), Edgbaston (Birmingham), Lord's (London), Old Trafford (Manchester), and The Oval (London).

A new era beckons for India in the Test format as the modern-day giants gear up for their first assignment without the prized batting bigwigs Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Shubman Gill, India's youngest Test captain, has taken the baton from Rohit to guide the nation to success and challenge for the World Test Championship mace.

India's squad: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana.

England Playing XI for the 1st Test against India: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.

Reader Comments

Here are 6 diverse Indian perspective comments for the article:

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Rahul K.

End of an era indeed! While it's emotional to see Kohli and Rohit retire, Sachin is absolutely right - transitions are natural. Remember how we worried when Dravid-Sachin retired? New stars emerged. Gill and Jaiswal have shown promise, let's back them! 🇮🇳🏏

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Priya M.

The timing feels odd though - right before an England tour? Couldn't they have played this series and then retired? We're throwing youngsters into deep water against England's swinging conditions. Hope the selectors know what they're doing 🤔

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Amit S.

Ashwin's retirement hits hardest for me. 500+ Test wickets and still our best spinner. Young spinners have big shoes to fill. But like Sachin said, talent is there - just need proper grooming. Kuldeep needs to step up now!

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Sunita R.

Emotional but excited! This is what makes cricket beautiful - new heroes will emerge. Remember how we discovered Kohli after Sachin retired? The cycle continues. Just hope BCCI gives proper chances to youngsters instead of constant chopping-changing.

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Vikram J.

Respectfully disagree with Sachin on one point - this transition feels more sudden than natural. Kohli was still performing, Rohit our best Test batter recently. Why not phase them out gradually? Now pressure on Gill is too much too soon.

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Neha T.

The real test will be overseas performance. Our youngsters have done well at home, but England/Australia/South Africa tours show true class. Hope they get proper preparation time unlike previous generations who were thrown into tough tours with little experience!

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